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EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' is a British
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
that has aired on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
since 19 February 1985. Several
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
shows have been made, some of which use the narrative of flashbacks to explore the history of the show's characters such as "
CivvyStreet "CivvyStreet" (sometimes written as "Civvy Street") is a spin-off episode of the British television soap opera ''EastEnders'', broadcast on BBC1 on 26 December 1988. The episode is a flashback to World War II and is set at Christmas 1942. The epis ...
". Others have been a lead-up for a character's eventual return to the show such as "Return of
Nick Cotton Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by John Altman (actor), John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due t ...
", and some have followed characters who had departed from the show in another setting such as the 2017 spin-off series '' Kat & Alfie: Redwater''. With the exception of "CivvyStreet" which was set within the show's fictional location of
Albert Square Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, these spin-offs take place in a different setting.
Documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
have also aired, particularly for the anniversaries of the show looking back at the history of the show's inception, its characters and storylines.


Spin-off series


''EastEnders: E20''

In October 2009, a 12-part Internet spin-off series entitled '' EastEnders: E20'' was announced. The series was conceived by executive producer
Diederick Santer Diederick Santer (born 3 July 1969) is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'', a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He was Chief Execu ...
"as a way of nurturing new, young talent, both on- and off-screen, and exploring the stories of the soaps' anonymous bystanders." ''E20'' features a group of sixth-form characters and targets the "''Hollyoaks'' demographic". It was written by a team of young writers and was shown three times a week on the ''EastEnders'' website from 8 January 2010. A second ten-part series started in September 2010, with twice-weekly episodes available online and an omnibus on BBC Three. A third series of 15 episodes started in September 2011.


''Kat and Alfie: Redwater''

On 4 April 2015, plans for a BBC One series featuring
Kat Moon Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the ...
and
Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on ...
were announced. The six-part drama, '' Kat and Alfie: Redwater'', was created by executive producer
Dominic Treadwell-Collins Dominic Treadwell-Collins (born 26 August 1977) is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas ''Family Affairs'' and ''EastEnders'', creating the ''EastEnders'' spin-off series '' Kat & Alfie: Redwater'' and Executive P ...
and started in May 2017. In the series, the Moons visit Ireland where they "search for answers to some very big questions."


''Tracey: A Day in the Life''

A 5-part spin-off miniseries featuring long-running character
Tracey Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, C ...
( Jane Slaughter) was released on 2 December 2024 as part of the BBC Studios Talentworks initiative. The plot revolved around Tracey reuniting with her son Tom (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins) after they lost contact for years, during her 60th birthday celebrations.
Linda Carter Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). Linda was ...
(
Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in '' Ali G ...
),
Elaine Peacock Elaine Peacock (also Knight) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Introduced as the mother of established character Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Elaine is originally played by Maria Friedman from October 2014 until J ...
(
Harriet Thorpe Harriet Amelia Thorpe (born 8 June 1957) is an English actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997) and ''Absolutely Fabulous'' ( ...
) and
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
) make guest appearances in the miniseries.


''EastEnders'' "bubbles"


"CivvyStreet"

"CivvyStreet" is a spin-off episode of ''EastEnders'' broadcast on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
on 26 December 1988. The episode is a flashback to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and is set at Christmas 1942. It was watched by 7 million viewers.


"Return of Nick Cotton"

This episode first aired on 1 October 2000 and was a lead-up to the return of
Nick Cotton Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by John Altman (actor), John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due t ...
as a regular character later that year, more than two years after his last appearance. It was written by
Matthew Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos (production company), Kudos Film and Television science fiction series ''Life on Mars (UK TV series), Life on Mars'', which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has re ...
and directed by
Chris Bernard Chris Bernard (born 20 October 1955) is an English film director. He has directed eight films since 1985. He was born in Liverpool, England and started his professional career in the theatre. In 1977 he developed an old warehouse, in Matthew S ...
. The episode followed Nick as he has just been released from prison. Fast forward to 10 weeks later and he was living in a squat in North London. He then had a dream where his dead father Charlie appeared and warned him that something terrible is about to happen to him. He was told by a black gay couple living in the squat with him that seeing your own dead relatives in your dreams was a bad sign but Nick was not worried. He then decided to meet up with his son
Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsċ'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
and ex-wife Zoe and went to Zoe's brother Eddie to ask for her address. He also had some mean-looking thugs on his trail, a father and son named Colin and Little Col, who had a score to settle with him from their time in prison. He met up with Ashley who revealed he and Zoe were living with Zoe's new boyfriend. The thugs discover Nick's whereabouts and show up at Zoe's house trying to break in. The police arrive and arrest Colin and Col. To escape them Ashley and Nick got into a stolen convertible car and drove off. Zoe pleaded with Ashley not to go with Nick knowing he would be a bad influence but Ashley did not listen. Then just before the end of the episode Nick and Ashley were discussing where to go from here and Nick says "Let's hit the road for a bit, and then just maybe...we'll go and see Ma," and they decided to travel around for a bit before their eventual return to Walford.


"Ricky & Bianca"

This two-part episode aired on 13 and 20 May 2002, originally these episodes were planned to air over the Christmas period in 2001 but filming was delayed due to
Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...
's pregnancy. This two part special was a lead-up to
Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...
's return later that year as a regular character. It was written by
Simon Ashdown Simon Ashdown is a British television writer, best known as being a BAFTA award-nominated ''EastEnders'' writer. Career From 1995 to 2013, Ashdown was series consultant and lead writer on ''EastEnders''. He was involved in the creation of the Sl ...
. The episode saw Ricky reunite with his ex-wife
Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...
and son
Liam Liam is a short form of the Germanic name William, or its Irish variant Uilliam. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ...
in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. Bianca had been in Manchester doing an arts degree for the past two and a half years and was struggling to look after Liam. Ricky discovered she had been working in a nightclub and had stolen money from the manager Vince. Ricky ended up getting caught in the middle of all of this along with his new girlfriend Cassie. After he got Bianca out of trouble, they had a one-night stand during which Bianca conceived their daughter Tiffany. Ricky told Cassie he didn't really love her, he was still in love with Bianca. Cassie managed to manipulate Bianca into thinking that she and Ricky would never be happy together, and Bianca made the difficult decision to leave Liam with Ricky, feeling that he'd be a better parent than she would, and left in a taxi. Nancy Banks-Smith of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described the episodes as, "A cynical way of shooing Ricky back into Albert Square. ..These let's-do-the-show-somewhere-else specials tend to be tiresome. This one seems to be a way of easing Ricky back into ''EastEnders''. Pete Shelley of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' said, "A shot of a pasty-faced, grumpy-looking orang-utan told us that this episode marked the return of Bianca... I won't bore you with the details of Simon Ashdown's plot, suffice to say that it was worthy of a ''
Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Bro ...
'' Christmas video starring
Lindsey Corkhill Lindsey Corkhill (also Stanlow and Phelan) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside'', played by Claire Sweeney. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 12 June 19 ...
." Simon Edge of the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' said "''EastEnders'' spin-offs usually set off the cringe alarm. But this one is a hoot, mainly because Patsy Palmer is sending herself up something rotten – normally only drag queens can manage a falsetto squeal that high – and because she and Sid Owen look so pleased to be there." Tina Baker, for
GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
said "The Ricky and Bianca spin-off didn't quite work, It just wasn't quite as good as when they were in Albert Square with all the other characters. It's a bit of a danger when characters have already left the soap and then they return in a spin-off."


"Dot's Story"

This episode first aired on 2 January 2003 and followed
Dot Branning Dorothy "Dot" Cotton (also Branning) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in f ...
(
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...
) to Wales to visit the family she stayed with during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Through a series of flashbacks, we see Dot being evacuated, and her experiences of evacuation. Her guardians Gwen and Will are featured in the episode.


"Perfectly Frank"

This episode aired on 21 September 2003 and followed
Frank Butcher Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987, but due to a positive viewer reception, he is reintr ...
as he set up a seedy nightclub and a car valeting service in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
after returning from Spain where he was last seen in 2002. When Frank is sent a car to valet by the local gangster named Reg Priest, his assistant finds a dead body in the boot. Frank and his club staff try to find a way to avoid the police asking questions and fall foul of Reg so they throw the body into the water over the side of the pier. The episode was written by
Tony Jordan Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. For many years, he was lead writer and series consultant for BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has written over 250 episodes for the programme since 1989, including the 2008 S ...
.


"Pat and Mo"

This feature-length episode first aired on 1 April 2004 and revealed what caused the feud between Pat Evans and
Mo Harris Mo Harris (also Porter, also known as Big Mo), is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', who made her first appearance on 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo was also played by Lorraine Stanley in the 2004 spin-of ...
that lasted until Pat's death in 2012. Pat and Mo meet at the grave of Pat's brother and Mo's husband,
Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...
, and reminisce about old times through a series of flashbacks. Mo's brother, Stan Porter, also appeared in the episode. Young Pat was played by Emma Cooke and young Mo was played by
Lorraine Stanley Lorraine Marie Stanley (born 28 June 1976) is a British actress from Portsmouth, England, known for playing Kelly in the 2006 film '' London to Brighton'' and Karen Taylor in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2017–2024). Early life Lorraine ...
, who would go on to play Karen Taylor thirteen years later.


Red Button episodes


"Phil On Remand"

After being sent to prison for his wrongful involvement in the death of Stella Crawford,
Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother, Grant ( Ross Kemp), sister, Sam ( Danniella Westbrook/ Kim Medca ...
finds himself the reluctant mentor to a new prisoner when he runs afoul of the top dog.


"Billy's Olympic Nightmare"


"Dorothy Branning: The Next Chapter"

This episode first aired on BBC's
Red Button Red button may refer to: * Red Button (digital television), a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the United Kingdom and Australia, and used to access interactive television services **BBC Red Button, a digi ...
service on 11 January 2013. Abi Branning (
Lorna Fitzgerald Lorna Katie Fitzgerald (born 17 April 1996) is a British actress from Northampton. Her most notable role to date is that of Abi Branning in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. Since leaving ''EastEnders'' in January 2018, Fitzgerald has develop ...
) tracks down her step grandmother
Dot Branning Dorothy "Dot" Cotton (also Branning) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in f ...
(
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...
), who has been living away from Walford with her granddaughter
Dotty Cotton Dotty Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Molly Conlin from 2008 to 2010 and Milly Zero from 2019 to 2022. She was introduced on 26 December 2008 as the daughter of established character Nick ...
(
Molly Conlin Molly Conlin (born 23 February 2001) is a former English actress, known for her role as Dotty Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life Conlin was born in Canning Town, London where she lives with her mother and her brother, Jack ...
), following the revelation that her father
Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
(
Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor and podcaster from Westminster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' a ...
) has a secret wife,
Kirsty Kirsty or Kirstie is a feminine given name and nickname. It is a Scottish diminutive of Christine in English-speaking countries and is also linked to Kirsten — the Scandinavian version of Christine. People * Kirstie Alley (1951–2022), A ...
(
Kierston Wareing Kierston Wareing (born Faye Kierston Wareing (legally dropped Faye in 2006) 7 January 1976) is a British actress. Her first film role was the lead in Ken Loach's ''It's a Free World...'', followed by a supporting role in Andrea Arnold's ''Fish T ...
) and the fallout it had caused for her family, including Max's current fiancé/ex-wife and Abi's mother Tanya (
Jo Joyner Joanne Mary Joyner (born 24 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Mandy Carter in the Channel 4 school drama '' Ackley Bridge''. From 2018, she has starred as Lue ...
). She convinces Dot to return home to Walford when she recognises how she is lonely, starting the 'next chapter' in Dot's life. It acted as the return of June Brown to the role of Dot after six months away.


"T & B 4 Eva"

This episode first aired on BBC's
Red Button Red button may refer to: * Red Button (digital television), a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the United Kingdom and Australia, and used to access interactive television services **BBC Red Button, a digi ...
service on 8 November 2013.
Bianca Butcher Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted ...
(
Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...
) is studying to become a beautician in Manchester for six weeks, away from her family in Walford. She meets the charming Terry Spraggan (
Terry Alderton Terry John Alderton (born 31 October 1970) is an English comedian who had acting and presenting roles in the early 2000s before returning to stand-up comedy a decade later. Personal life Alderton was born on 31 October 1970 in Rochford, Ess ...
) and they fall for each other and eventually start a relationship. The episode led to the eventual introduction of Terry and his family when they returned to Walford with Bianca when the six-week course ended.


Documentaries

Several documentaries have been made about ''EastEnders'', usually broadcast on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
. Since February 2010,
Watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
started repeating various ''EastEnders'' documentaries. Since then, they occasionally show documentaries on Saturdays and Sundays.


''EastEnders Revealed''

''EastEnders Revealed'' is a factual entertainment programme that looks back at the storylines,
characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...
and stars of ''EastEnders''. It first aired in December 1998 as part of the new BBC digital channel (
BBC Choice BBC Choice was a British digital television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first United Kingdom, British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in Digital television, digital format, as well as t ...
) line-up and last aired in March 2011. ''EastEnders Revealed'' was the only BBC Choice programme to last the entire life of the channel, and was carried over to its replacement
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
where it continued until 2011. It has been presented by
Gail Porter Gail Porter (born 23 March 1971) is a Scottish television personality, former model and actress. She started her television career in children's TV, before branching out into modelling and presenting mainstream TV. In 1999, she posed nude for ' ...
, Harriet Saxton,
Jayne Middlemiss Jayne Middlemiss is an English television and radio presenter. She began presenting music television shows including '' The O Zone'' and ''Top of the Pops'' in the mid-1990s, as well as other television and radio shows, including on BBC Radio 6 ...
,
Edith Bowman Edith Eleanor Bowman (born 1974) is a Scottish radio DJ and television presenter. She hosted '' Colin and Edith'', weekday afternoons, weekend breakfast, and ''The Radio 1 Review'' on BBC Radio 1 until 2014 and has presented a variety of music-r ...
,
Colin Murray Colin Murray (born Colin Wright on 10 March 1977) is a Northern Irish radio and television presenter. He has hosted the Channel 4 game show '' Countdown'' since 2022. Born and raised in Dundonald, east of Belfast, Murray first trained and wor ...
,
Melanie Sykes Melanie Ann Sykes (born 1970) is an English former television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted ''Going Out with Ala ...
and
Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...
. The episodes are 30 or 60 minutes in length and, on occasions, have been broadcast on the BBC's flagship channel,
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
. This is usually after a major storyline has been taking place in ''EastEnders'', for example when
Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...
(
Den Watts Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house from Albert ...
) returned to the show in 2003, when
Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...
(
Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland an ...
) left and when
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
(
Peggy Mitchell Peggy Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was rein ...
) left. EastEnders Revealed finally returned in February 2025 for the 40th Anniversary of the show.


List of titled episodes


''EastEnders Xtra''

''EastEnders Xtra'' was an
interactive Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but mo ...
entertainment series based on ''EastEnders''. It was first available to viewers in February 2005, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of ''EastEnders''. Television viewers could watch the show by pressing the red button on their television remote, at 8.30pm on Monday nights. The programme was presented by
CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
presenter
Angellica Bell Angellica Bell (born 24 March 1976) is a British television presenter, television and radio presenter, best known for her presenting on CBBC between 2000 and 2006. She is also known for providing occasional cover on ''The One Show'' and for c ...
and was approximately 15 to 20 minutes in length. It was primarily aimed at younger fans of ''EastEnders''. It featured games and interviews with cast members, looked behind the scenes and allowed viewers to take part in quizzes on their mobile phones. The series was produced by Simon Hall. The theme and music used within the show was a rocked up version of the ''EastEnders'' theme tune. The series ran for ten weeks, featuring ten episodes. Each episode featured an ''EastEnders'' star as a co-presenter. In the first episode,
Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...
who played
Chrissie Watts Chrissie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. She first appeared on 29 April 2004 and transpired to be the second wife of the show's "most enduring character", Den Watts (Leslie Gr ...
explained that
The Queen Victoria ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the ...
pub uses exterior and interior sets for filming.
Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...
who plays
Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...
took part in "Extractor", a part of ''EastEnders Xtra'' which asks cast members a series of questions. The other co-presenters were
Nabil Elouahabi Nabil Elouahabi (born 6 February 1975), often credited as Nabil Elouhabi, is a British-Moroccan actor, known for his role as Tariq Larousi in ''EastEnders'' from 2003 to 2005, as Rashid "Gary" Mahmoon in " Strangers on the Shore" (the 2002 Chris ...
( Tariq Larousi), Pooja Shah ( Kareena Ferreira), Jemma Walker ( Sasha Perkins),
Natalie Cassidy Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13 May 1983) is an English actress and television personality. She is known for her role as Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders.'' She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror series '' Psychoville ...
(
Sonia Fowler Sonia Fowler (also Jackson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on and she departed on She returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson fami ...
),
Ameet Chana Ameet Chana (born 12 September 1975 in Epsom, Surrey, England) is a British-Indian actor and producer. His most notable roles include playing Tony in the film ''Bend It Like Beckham'' (2002), and Adi Ferreira in ''EastEnders'' (2003–2005). ...
( Adi Ferreira),
Cliff Parisi Cliff Parisi (born Clifford R Manley; 24 May 1960) is an English actor and businessman, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama ''Call the Midwife''. In 2019, he ...
(
Minty Peterson Rick "Minty" Peterson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cliff Parisi. He made his first appearance on 11 March 2002. In his initial appearances, he was credited with the name "Rick". His nickname was give ...
),
Joe Swash Joseph Adam Swash (born ) is a British actor and television presenter from London, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm ...
(
Mickey Miller Mickey Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Joe Swash. He first appeared on 15 April 2003 as a guest character. Mickey proved popular and the executive producer Louise Berridge made him a full-time mem ...
) and
Mohammed George Mohammed Michael "Mo" George (born 11 March 1982) is a British actor who played Gus Smith on the soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2002 to 2008. Early life Mohammed Michael George was born to a Jamaican mother and Antiguan father, in Hackney, ...
(
Gus Smith Gus Smith is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mohammed George. He made his first appearance on 28 May 2002. It was announced in January 2008 that Gus would leave the show later in 2008, and he made his l ...
).


''EastEnders: Back to Ours''

''EastEnders: Back to Ours'' is a series which aired on
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...
and
BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to cl ...
. The first series contains six episodes, made available over the course of 27 January–12 February 2015 as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. On 18 September 2015, a second run of two episodes was announced, to be shown on 28 September and 2 October 2015. It returned for a third time on 1 January 2016 for a one-off special. It features several cast members, past and present, looking over their greatest moments on the show, in a format similar to ''
Gogglebox ''Gogglebox'' is a British reality television series created by Stephen Lambert, Tania Alexander and Tim Harcourt, and broadcast on Channel 4. The series documents families and groups of friends around the United Kingdom who are filmed for the ...
''. The first series attracted 2.8 million requests.


''EastEnders: The Real Stories''

''EastEnders: The Real Stories'' is a series of six short episodes that was made available on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
from 6 July 2018 to tie in with episode 5737, in which Shakil Kazemi's (
Shaheen Jafargholi Shaheen Jafargholi (; born 23 January 1997) is a Welsh actor and singer. In 2009, he finished in seventh place on the ITV competition series '' Britain's Got Talent''. Since then, he has portrayed the roles of Shakil Kazemi in ''EastEnders'' ...
) funeral takes place after he is stabbed and killed. The episodes feature real people talking about their family members who were murdered.


''EastEnders: Secrets from the Square''

''EastEnders: Secrets from the Square'' is a documentary series hosted by
Stacey Dooley Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 as a participant on the documentary series '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made ...
on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
. The programme was broadcast as a response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
which led to the suspension of production on ''EastEnders''. The series includes Dooley interviewing cast members such as
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
,
Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...
,
Diane Parish Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006. A graduate of the Royal Academy of D ...
,
Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in '' Ali G ...
and
Danny Dyer Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'' (1999), with other notable roles Billy the Limpet in ''Mean Machine (film), Mean Machine'' (2001) and as Tommy J ...
about their experiences on ''EastEnders''.


''EastEnders: The Six''

''EastEnders: The Six'' is a two-part documentary series hosted by
Joe Swash Joseph Adam Swash (born ) is a British actor and television presenter from London, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm ...
, who previously played
Mickey Miller Mickey Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Joe Swash. He first appeared on 15 April 2003 as a guest character. Mickey proved popular and the executive producer Louise Berridge made him a full-time mem ...
on the soap from 2003 to 2008 and 2011. The programme was broadcast in response to the build-up and resolution to the overarching 2023 storyline, dubbed The Six, where a flashforward took place in February 2023 which saw
Linda Carter Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer). Linda was ...
(
Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in '' Ali G ...
),
Suki Panesar Suki Panesar (also Kaur and Panesar-Unwin) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Balvinder Sopal. Sopal's casting and details about Suki were announced in December 2019, with the character making her first o ...
(
Balvinder Sopal Balvinder Sopal (born 4 December 1978) is an English actress, whose acting career has spanned over two decades. She rose to prominence for her portrayal as Suki Panesar-Unwin in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since January 2020. Sopal has al ...
),
Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell, Sullivan and Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's ori ...
(
Gillian Taylforth Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', as well as appearing as Jackie Pascoe on ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'' (2002–2006) and Sgt. Nikki W ...
),
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
),
Denise Fox Denise Fox (also Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left ''EastEnders'' in early 2008 to give birth to her se ...
(
Diane Parish Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006. A graduate of the Royal Academy of D ...
) and
Sharon Watts Sharon Watts (also Mitchell, Rickman and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Letitia Dean. Sharon was one of ''EastEnders'' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Jul ...
(
Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...
) gathered among a dead body of a man on Christmas Day 2023. The documentary series highlighted the potential motives of each of the six characters and the revelation of who committed the murder.


Other documentaries

'' Just Another Day'' was a six-part documentary series presented John Pitman that looked at places which are part of the British way of life. The first episode, broadcast on 14 November 1986, went behind the scenes of ''EastEnders''. ''EastEnders Family Album'' was a special documentary which first aired on 13 February 2000 to celebrate the upcoming 15th anniversary of ''EastEnders''. Narrated by
Linda Robson Linda Patricia Mary Robson Dunford (' Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020), and her appearances ...
, the documentary looked back at some of the most memorable storylines and characters in the show and featured interviews with past and present cast members. ''EastEnders: The Whole Truth'' was a series of five documentary episodes, three pre-recorded and two live, broadcast every day from 2–6 April 2001, presented by
Gaby Roslin Gaby Roslin (born 12 July 1964) is an English television and radio presenter who rose to fame co-presenting ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1996. Roslin also presented the ''Children in Need'' charity telethons on the BBC be ...
. The first three, pre-recorded episodes were broadcast at 12:00pm, whereas the two live episodes were broadcast before the main ''EastEnders'' shows on those days. ''EastEnders: The Whole Truth'' examined the "
Who Shot Phil? "Who Shot Phil?" was a storyline of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' which began on 1 March 2001 and climaxed on 5 April 2001. Background The storyline centred around one of ''EastEnders longest-running characters, Phil Mitchell (played by Stev ...
" storyline, including interviews with several cast members. Episode 5 was broadcast before the assailant, Lisa Fowler (
Lucy Benjamin Lucy Benjamin (born Lucy Jane Baker; 25 June 1970) is an English actress. After appearing in various television series including '' Close to Home'' (1989–1990), '' Press Gang'' (1989–1993) and '' Jupiter Moon'' (1990, 1996), she was cast i ...
), was revealed to the public, and episode 6 gauged the reaction the following evening. ''A-Z of EastEnders'' was a documentary broadcast on the twentieth anniversary of ''EastEnders'' in 2005 and presented by
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...
. Since 1 December 2006, a new style of behind-the-scenes programmes have been broadcast on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
, and on
BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to cl ...
following the closure of BBC Three. These are all documentaries related to current storylines in ''EastEnders'', in a similar format to ''EastEnders Revealed'', though not using the ''EastEnders Revealed'' name. The include clips from the series and interviews with the show's cast and crew as well as TV critics such as
Sharon Marshall Sharon Jean Marshall (born 21 September 1971) is a British entertainment journalist, TV personality, screenwriter and author. She is best known for being the resident "Soap Expert" on ITV's '' This Morning'' since 2003 making her the current ...
. Documentaries have included: *''EastEnders Unveiled: A Weddings Special'', 1 December 2006, giving an insight into how the show's weddings are produced, and took a look at the past weddings of Walford. It was broadcast straight after the wedding of
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
) and
Jane Collins Jane Maria Collins (born 17 February 1962) is a British politician and horse show-jumper who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber from 2014 to 2019. She was elected in May 2014 as a member of the UK ...
(
Laurie Brett Laurie Brett (born 28 March 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Jane Beale in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Christine Mulgrew in the BBC One drama series '' Waterloo Road''. Early and personal life Brett was b ...
). *''EastEnders Sweethearts: The Story of Martin and Sonia'', on 2 February 2007, following the departure of
Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...
(
James Alexandrou James Alekos Alexandrou (born 12 April 1985) is a British actor and filmmaker from London. He is known for playing Martin Fowler in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1996 to 2007. He was also the presenter of ''Bizarre Crime'' on BBC T ...
) and
Sonia Fowler Sonia Fowler (also Jackson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on and she departed on She returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson fami ...
(
Natalie Cassidy Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13 May 1983) is an English actress and television personality. She is known for her role as Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders.'' She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror series '' Psychoville ...
). *''EastEnders Scandals: The Wicks Family'', 9 March 2007, coinciding with
Kevin Wicks Kevin Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Phil Daniels. Kevin made his first appearance on 17 February 2006, when he was introduced to the show alongside his two children, Carly ( Kellie Shirley) and ...
' (
Phil Daniels Philip William Daniels (born 25 October 1958) is an English actor, musician and singer, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in ''Quadrophenia'', Richards in '' Scum'', Stewart in '' T ...
) return to Walford. *''EastEnders Feuds: The Beales vs. The Mitchells'', 18 May 2007, examining the feud between
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
) and
Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother, Grant ( Ross Kemp), sister, Sam ( Danniella Westbrook/ Kim Medca ...
(
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...
) and going behind the scenes of episodes broadcast on 17–21 May. *''EastEnders Vixens: The Rise and Fall of Stella'', 20 July 2007, following the death of Stella Crawford (
Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods''. She has been nominated for ...
) and looking at the various female characters in ''EastEnders'' past and present. *''EastEnders Affairs: Max and Stacey'', 1 November 2007, looking at the relationship between characters
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
), her fiancé
Bradley Branning Bradley Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie Clements. He made his first appearance on screen on 24 January 2006 and last appeared on 22 February 2010 after he was killed-off in the show's ...
( Charlie Clements) and his father
Max Branning Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jake Wood. He made his first appearance on 27 June 2006. Wood took a four-month break from the show in 2011 and the character was absent between August and Nov ...
(
Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor and podcaster from Westminster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' a ...
). *''EastEnders Christmas Fall Outs'', 26 December 2007, looking back at Christmas episodes and going behind the scenes of 2007's Christmas episodes. *''EastEnders Ricky and Bianca'', 4 April 2008, constructed in aid of the return to ''EastEnders'' by
Ricky Butcher Ricky Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the ...
(
Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...
) and
Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders,'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opt ...
(
Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...
), looking back on the relationship of the two characters. *''EastEnders: Whodunnits'', 31 October 2008, showing infamous whodunnit storylines such as the murder of
Reg Cox The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1985, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by executive producer Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith. The first episode of ''Ea ...
(Johnnie Clayton), following the whodunnit of
Max Branning Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jake Wood. He made his first appearance on 27 June 2006. Wood took a four-month break from the show in 2011 and the character was absent between August and Nov ...
(
Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is a British actor and podcaster from Westminster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' a ...
) being run over by an unknown assailant. *''EastEnders: Comebacks'', 31 December 2008, celebrating the return of
Nick Cotton Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by John Altman (actor), John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due t ...
( John Altman). *''EastEnders: The Return of Sam Mitchell'', 11 September 2009, in conjunction with the return of character Sam Mitchell (
Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress and television personality. She is best known for playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Westbrook has also presented various television shows and was a conte ...
). *''EastEnders: The Two Faces of Lucas'', 26 November 2009, looks at the character of
Lucas Johnson Lucas Johnson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Don Gilet. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 April 2008. Lucas is introduced as a reformed drug addict and criminal-turned-preacher who appears a ...
(
Don Gilet Don Gilet (born 17 January 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as DS Nicky Cole in ''55 Degrees North'', DI Mervin Wilson in ''Death in Paradise'', Lucas Johnson in ''EastEnders'', and Jesse Law in ''Holby City''. Early ...
) as well as other characters who have had a "turning point" in their storyline. *''EastEnders: The Greatest Cliffhangers'', a three-part series on BBC Three, featuring 100 cliffhangers from the first 3918 episodes to find out which character had the most endings. It aired as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations. The first part aired on 26 January 2010, the second on 2 February 2010 and the third on 16 February 2010. The character turned out to be
Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother, Grant ( Ross Kemp), sister, Sam ( Danniella Westbrook/ Kim Medca ...
(
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...
). *''EastEnders Live: The Aftermath'', 19 February 2010, a special show hosted by
George Lamb George Martin Lamb (born 20 December 1979) is an English former radio and television presenter, farmer and businessman. In 2012, he presented the Channel 4 game show ''The Bank Job''. He is the son of actor Larry Lamb. Education Born in Hammer ...
after the show's first live episode on the 25th anniversary. *''EastEnders: Christian and Syed'', 26 April 2010, following the reveal of Syed Masood's ( Marc Elliott) affair with Christian Clarke ( John Partridge) and the departure of his wife Amira (
Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas (born 21 June 1980) is an English singer and actress. She played Amira Masood in the soap opera ''EastEnders'', from 2009 to 2012. She released the single "Shimmy" in July 2010, taken from her proposed debut album ''(I'm Over It) ...
). The programme also looked at other
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
,
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
and
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
characters from ''EastEnders'' history (see
List of LGBT characters in soap operas This is a list of soap opera characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and the live action television and radio soap operas which feature them. Characters who are pansexual, asexual, non-binary and intersex are also included. ...
). *''EastEnders: The Murders of Lucas Johnson'', 30 July 2010, looked at the story of
Lucas Johnson Lucas Johnson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Don Gilet. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 April 2008. Lucas is introduced as a reformed drug addict and criminal-turned-preacher who appears a ...
(
Don Gilet Don Gilet (born 17 January 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as DS Nicky Cole in ''55 Degrees North'', DI Mervin Wilson in ''Death in Paradise'', Lucas Johnson in ''EastEnders'', and Jesse Law in ''Holby City''. Early ...
) and other character deaths from ''EastEnders'' history. *''Peggy Mitchell – Queen of the Vic'', 10 September 2010, looked at ten moments from
Peggy Mitchell Peggy Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was rein ...
's (
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
) time in the show. The episode was broadcast on BBC One following Peggy's departure. *''EastEnders: Kat and Alfie's Return'', 24 September 2010, followed the return of
Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie ...
and
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She made her acting debut in the television police series ''The Bill'' and rose to prominence for her role as Kat Slater on the BBC so ...
as Alfie and
Kat Moon Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the ...
. It looked at their history as well as Kat's family, the Slaters, and also went behind the scenes of the fire at
The Queen Victoria ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the ...
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
(see
Queen Vic Fire Week "Queen Vic Fire Week" is a group of four episodes of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', broadcast between 6 and 10 September 2010 on BBC One. The episodes included a fire at The Queen Victoria public house, also known as The Queen Vic or The Vi ...
). *''EastEnders: The Greatest Weddings'', 11 and 12 November 2010, a two-part documentary counting down the top 50 weddings from ''EastEnders'' history. This episode aired following the screen wedding of
Ronnie Mitchell Ronnie Mitchell (also Branning) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Samantha Womack. She and her younger sister Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer in July 200 ...
(
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in ...
) and
Jack Branning DI Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim ( John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the ...
(
Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in the ITV police drama series ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also too ...
). *''EastEnders: Farewell Stacey'', 28 December 2010, documenting the story of
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
) following her departure. *''EastEnders: Greatest Exits'', 7 July 2011, discussing the ways characters leave the series, ending with the five best. This episode was broadcast following the departure of Ronnie Branning (
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in ...
). *''EastEnders: The New Moons'', 6 October 2011, followed the storyline involving
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
( Steve John Shepherd) and
Eddie Moon Eddie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by David Essex. Eddie is the father of Michael ( Steve John Shepherd), Tyler ( Tony Discipline) and Anthony Moon ( Matt Lapinskas). Along with his children, Eddi ...
(
David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. From 1973 to 1994, he attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most suc ...
) following Eddie's departure. It also looked at the arrivals of the new members of the Moon family, and the other fathers that have been on the Square. *''EastEnders: Farewell Pat'', 2 January 2012, following Pat Evans (
Pam St Clement Pamela Ann Clements (born 11 May 1942), known professionally as Pam St Clement, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Pat Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 12 June 1986 until 1 January 2012, with a guest ...
) departure this programme looks back at Pat's greatest moments and celebrates her 25 years on the Square. *''EastEnders: 30 Years of Cliffhangers'', an updated three-part series on BBC Three, airing as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. The first part aired on 27 January 2015, the second on 5 February 2015 and the third on 12 February 2015. *''EastEnders: Backstage Live'', 20 February 2015, a special show hosted by
Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster and presenter. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows for the BBC, and in 2024 was confirmed as the second-highest paid BBC presenter after G ...
,
Joe Swash Joseph Adam Swash (born ) is a British actor and television presenter from London, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm ...
, and
Ore Oduba Ore Oduba (born 17 November 1985) is a British television and radio presenter who has also worked as an actor. From 2008 until 2013, he presented the CBBC news programme '' Newsround''. In 2018 he hosted the game show ''And They're Off!'' in a ...
after the full live episode which ended ''EastEnders'' Live Week. *''Stacey Branning – On the Edge'', 11 January 2016, followed the development of
Stacey Branning Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
's (
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
)
postpartum psychosis Postpartum psychosis (PPP), also known as puerperal psychosis or peripartum psychosis, involves the abrupt onset of psychotic symptoms shortly following childbirth, typically within two weeks of delivery but less than 4 weeks postpartum. PPP is ...
storyline. The 13-minute documentary was first broadcast on BBC iPlayer following the episode in which Stacey climbs onto the roof of
The Queen Victoria ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the ...
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
. *''Peggy Mitchell: Last Orders'', 17 May 2016, broadcast on
BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to cl ...
following the episode in which
Peggy Mitchell Peggy Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was rein ...
(
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
) dies.


Charity specials

In 1993, a ''
Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
'' charity special crossover between ''EastEnders'' and the
science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', ''
Dimensions in Time ''Dimensions in Time'' is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and the soap opera ''EastEnders.'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on lo ...
'', was transmitted for the 30th anniversary of ''Doctor Who''. It ran in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on the ''EastEnders'' set. It featured several of the stars of the programme at the time. Another ''Children in Need'' special, ''Pudding Lane'', was broadcast in a series of five-minute instalments throughout the 26 November 1999 telethon. It relocated the then current ''EastEnders'' characters to
Pudding Lane Pudding Lane is a small street in London, widely known as the location of Thomas Farriner's bakery, where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. It runs between Eastcheap and Thames Street in the historic City of London, and intersects Monu ...
in 1666, during the events leading to the
Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...
. In 2003, a three part special was made for ''Children in Need'' named ''OzEnders'', which saw the characters in a spoof remake of ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...
''.
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...
starred as
Dorothy Cotton Dorothy Cotton (June 9, 1930 – June 10, 2018) was an American civil rights activist, who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and a member of the inner circle of one of its main organizations, the Southern Christia ...
,
Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced ...
as
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
, and
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
as
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
, and employed the rest of the cast of ''EastEnders'', ''
Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...
'' and ''
Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
''. In 2005, the characters
Peggy Mitchell Peggy Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. Peggy was rein ...
(
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
),
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
) and
Little Mo Mitchell Little Mo Mitchell (also Morgan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kacey Ainsworth from 18 September 2000 to 26 May 2006. Little Mo originally appears in a turbulent marriage with her abusive husband Tr ...
(
Kacey Ainsworth Kacey Ainsworth (born 19 October 1968) is an English actress, known for her roles as Little Mo Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Cathy Keating in the ITV1, ITV drama series ''Grantchester (TV series), Grantchester''. Early life ...
) appeared alongside
Catherine Tate Catherine Tate (born Catherine Jane Ford, 5 December 1969) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC Two, BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), as well as bein ...
's character Lauren Cooper for a ''Children in Need'' sketch. Various ''EastEnders'' cast members have also appeared in sketches for ''Children in Need'', performing songs with various themes. In 2007, they sang songs from
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' '' Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band'', in 2008 they performed songs from West End musicals and in 2009 they performed renditions of classic songs produced by
Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
. In 2011, they performed songs by
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
and recreated famous scenes from their videos. In 2013, the cast performed various styles of dance to different versions of " Get Lucky" by
Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...
. In ''EastEnders get Mile Ready'' on 15 March 2010, the cast of ''Eastenders'' do a
fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors prov ...
around Albert Square. ''EastEnders'' and rival soap opera ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'' took part in a
crossover episode A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders (known as intercompany ...
for
Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
on 19 November 2010, called "
East Street East Street Market also known locally as 'East Street', 'The Lane', or 'East Lane', is a street market in Walworth in South East London. Location East Street is in the London Borough of Southwark and is between Walworth Road on the western ...
". The ''EastEnders'' cast who took part in the mini-episode were
Laurie Brett Laurie Brett (born 28 March 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Jane Beale in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Christine Mulgrew in the BBC One drama series '' Waterloo Road''. Early and personal life Brett was b ...
(
Jane Beale Jane Beale (also Collins) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Laurie Brett. She made her first appearance on 21 June 2004. Brett took maternity leave in 2011 and departed on 19 May. She returned on 8 Novem ...
), Charlie G. Hawkins (
Darren Miller Darren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011. Creation and development ...
), Kylie Babbington ( Jodie Gold),
Nina Wadia Nina Wadia (born 18 December 1968) is a British actress. She is known for portraying Zainab Masood in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Aunty Noor in '' Citizen Khan'', Mrs Hussein in the BBC comedy ''Still Open All Hours'' and for starring i ...
(
Zainab Masood Zainab Masood (also Khan) is a character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nina Wadia.
), John Partridge ( Christian Clarke),
Diane Parish Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006. A graduate of the Royal Academy of D ...
( Denise Johnson),
Nitin Ganatra Nitin Chandra Ganatra (born 30 June 1967) is a British actor. He is known for portraying Masood Ahmed in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'' (2007–2019), for which he won a British Soap Award. Early life Ganatra was born on 30 June 1967 in Ke ...
( Masood Ahmed),
Jamie Borthwick Jamie Simon Borthwick (born 23 June 1994) is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Jay Brown in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', in which he has starred since 2006. His role on ''EastEnders'' earned him a British Soap A ...
(
Jay Brown Jay Brown (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jamie Borthwick. He made his first appearance on 14 December 2006. Jay's storylines since joining the programme have included being part of a ...
),
Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie ...
(
Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on ...
),
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She made her acting debut in the television police series ''The Bill'' and rose to prominence for her role as Kat Slater on the BBC so ...
(
Kat Moon Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the ...
),
Ricky Norwood Ricky James Norwood (' Saggar; born 26 April 1983) is a British actor from London, known for portraying the role of Fatboy (EastEnders), Fatboy in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2010–2015, 2023) and its online spin-off ''EastEnders: E ...
( Fatboy) and
Shona McGarty Shona Bernadette McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer, known for her portrayal of Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2008 to 2024. Early life Shona Bernadette McGarty was born on 14 October 1991 ...
(
Whitney Dean Whitney Dean (also Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shona McGarty. The character is the ward of established character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and was introduced on 1 April 2008 when Pa ...
). In 2014, ''EastEnders'' made two specials for ''Children in Need''; one being Grease-Enders and the more well known episode "The Ghosts of Ian Beale". The short followed
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
) in a coma-like state exploring Albert Square and enchanting the women who had died from his past.
Pat Butcher Pat Butcher (also Harris, Wicks and Evans) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Played by Pam St Clement from 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired, until her departure on 1 January 2012. Pat was ...
(
Pam St Clement Pamela Ann Clements (born 11 May 1942), known professionally as Pam St Clement, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Pat Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 12 June 1986 until 1 January 2012, with a guest ...
) was in The Queen Vic,
Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell, Sullivan and Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's ori ...
(
Gillian Taylforth Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', as well as appearing as Jackie Pascoe on ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'' (2002–2006) and Sgt. Nikki W ...
) was working at the café, and Cindy Beale (
Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is a British actress. She is known for her role as Cindy Beale in the BBC soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (r ...
) was cooking in the kitchen of Ian's house. It ended with him finally getting to say "Goodbye" to his daughter
Lucy Beale Lucy Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. The character was played by Eva Brittin-Snell, Casey Anne Rothery, Melissa Suffield, and Hetti Bywater. Lucy was introduced in December 1993 as the daughter of Ian ( ...
(
Hetti Bywater Harriet Jessica Phoebe "Hetti" Bywater (born 10 September 1994) is an English former actress. She is best known for portraying Lucy Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', taking over the role from Melissa Suffield from 2012 until the charac ...
), part of the "
Who Killed Lucy Beale "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It was announced on 21 February 2014, and began on 18 April 2014, when Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) was discovered dead on Walford Common from a deliberately inflicted ...
" storyline, which was still being broadcast at the time of the special being aired. For '' Children in Need 2017'', the cast took part in "EastEnd meets WestEnd", a performance of West End songs including "
Step in Time "Step in Time" is a song and dance number from Walt Disney's 1964 film ''Mary Poppins'' which was composed by the Sherman Brothers. The choreography for this song was provided by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. It is sung by Bert, the chimney swe ...
" (''
Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...
'') and "Who Will Buy" (''
Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...
''). The special was shot differently to standard episodes of ''EastEnders'' which are filmed in
high definition High definition or HD may refer to: Visual technologies *Blu-ray Disc, the universal optical High Definition disc format *HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format *HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tap ...
, instead it was filmed in ultra-high definition to give a cinematic feel. It was filmed on a Saturday in a single day and choreographed by Matt Flint. For '' The Big Night In'' in April 2020, most actors who were in
lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...
appeared in a sketch via
webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...
in character ready to play a virtual quiz night hosted by
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
). The sketch also received a cross over appearance from ''Coronation Street'' character
Liz McDonald Liz McDonald (also credited as Liz MacDonald) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She is portrayed by Beverley Callard. She made her first appearance on 27 October 1989. Callard opted to leave the ...
(
Beverley Callard Beverley Jane McEwan (''née'' Moxon; previously Atkinson, Sowden and Callard; born 28 March 1957) is an English actress, known for her role as Liz McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1989–1998, 2000–2001, 2 ...
) who appeared to have been connected to the wrong video chat. This marked her second appearance in a sketch with some of the ''EastEnders'' cast as she had previously appeared in ''East Street''. In another sketch,
Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...
also declares that he is "missing ''EastEnders''" due to episodes being cut.


Other specials

On 10 August 2001, the BBC threw a gala party at the Television Centre in West London, which was attended by many ''EastEnders'' cast members. Part of the event was documented by the hour-long television show ''EastEnders: It's Your Party'', hosted by
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...
. It featured several interviews with the cast. This was in celebration of the series' incoming fourth weekly episode. Two
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
themed Christmas specials, both titled ''EastEnders Christmas Party'', aired on Christmas Eve 2003 and 2004, which had the cast and crew, both current and former of ''EastEnders'' singing, dancing and performing short comedy sketches.


''EastEnders''-themed game shows

A one-off special episode of the
quiz show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating whe ...
''
A Question of Sport ''A Question of Sport'' (known as ''Question of Sport'' from 2021 until 2023) is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It was the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December ...
'' called ''A Question of EastEnders'' was broadcast on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
on 15 February 2000 to mark ''EastEnders'' 15th anniversary on 19 February 2000. The special was hosted by
Gaby Roslin Gaby Roslin (born 12 July 1964) is an English television and radio presenter who rose to fame co-presenting ''The Big Breakfast'' on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1996. Roslin also presented the ''Children in Need'' charity telethons on the BBC be ...
, and had two teams, each led by a team captain;
Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...
(
Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland an ...
) and
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
(
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
). On Richard's team were ''
Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...
'' presenter
Katy Hill Katy Hill (born 15 April 1971) is an English television presenter who has worked in television and radio in the UK since 1995. She presented the long-running children's programme ''Blue Peter'' from 1995 to 2000 and the flagship Saturday mornin ...
and
stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...
Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an offbeat, energetic performanc ...
. Woodyatt's team consisted of
Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is a British actress. She is known for her role as Cindy Beale in the BBC soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (r ...
, who previously played Cindy Beale in ''EastEnders'', and
Jeremy Spake Jeremy Spake (born 1969) is a British television personality and presenter from Colchester, England. Career In 1996, Spake featured in the BBC documentary series ''Airport'', where he worked as the ground services manager for Russian airline Ae ...
, who became famous for appearing in the television
docusoap Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
''
Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
''. There were eight rounds and Woodyatt's team won with 36 points to Richard's 16. There have been three special editions of ''
The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...
'' relating to ''EastEnders'', on 1 March 2001, 26 June 2008, and in February 2010 for ''EastEnders'' 25th anniversary, which featured past and present ''EastEnders'' cast including
Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...
(
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
),
Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series ''Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series of ...
(
Archie Mitchell Archie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Larry Lamb. He first appeared on 8 July 2008 as a newest member of the Mitchell family—who had first appeared on the soap in 1990—and became the show ...
) and John Partridge ( Christian Clarke). It was won by
Laurie Brett Laurie Brett (born 28 March 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Jane Beale in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Christine Mulgrew in the BBC One drama series '' Waterloo Road''. Early and personal life Brett was b ...
, who plays
Jane Beale Jane Beale (also Collins) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Laurie Brett. She made her first appearance on 21 June 2004. Brett took maternity leave in 2011 and departed on 19 May. She returned on 8 Novem ...
. An ''EastEnders''-themed episode of ''
Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but ob ...
'' aired on 8 September 2018, featuring cast members
Natalie Cassidy Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13 May 1983) is an English actress and television personality. She is known for her role as Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders.'' She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror series '' Psychoville ...
(
Sonia Fowler Sonia Fowler (also Jackson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on and she departed on She returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson fami ...
),
Dean Gaffney Dean Martin Gaffney (born 14 February 1978) is an English actor, best known for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 2004 and 2017 to 2019; he also made guest appearances in 2004, 2010 and 2015. In 2006, ...
(
Robbie Jackson Robbie Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Dean Gaffney. The character was introduced in 1993, but axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two ...
),
Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...
(
Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...
),
Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Honey Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which she has portrayed since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared in ...
( Honey Mitchell), Lisa Hammond (
Donna Yates Donna Yates may refer to: * Donna Yates (''EastEnders''), fictional character * Donna Yates (professor), archaeologist {{hndis, Yates, Donna ...
),
Luisa Bradshaw-White Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in many British television series, including ''Grange Hill'' as Maria Watts, '' This Life'' as Kira, '' Bad Girls'' as Lorna Rose, ''Holby City'' as Li ...
( Tina Carter),
Jamie Borthwick Jamie Simon Borthwick (born 23 June 1994) is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Jay Brown in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', in which he has starred since 2006. His role on ''EastEnders'' earned him a British Soap A ...
(
Jay Brown Jay Brown (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jamie Borthwick. He made his first appearance on 14 December 2006. Jay's storylines since joining the programme have included being part of a ...
) and
Madhav Sharma Madhav Sharma (born 12 November 1939) is an Indian-British actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and first came to public attention playing a prisoner named Patel in the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who in 1973. Since the ...
( Arshad Ahmed).


See also

* List of ''EastEnders'' spin-off characters


References


External links

* * * * * * *
EastEnders Family Album details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastenders Television Spin-Offs, List of
Spin-offs Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...